Art of making shoes



March 1, 1932. P, COLELLA 1,847,235

ART OF MAKING SHOES iled Aug. 30, 1928 i Y[7u/enlaza azi Cyqgell a/ @MMM/j? Patented er, l, 1932A D STATES PASQUALE COLELLA, OF NAHANT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB, T THE LITTLEWAY PROGESS COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- SETTS .ART OF MAKING- SHOES Application led August 30, 1928. Serial N'o. 302,900.

This invention relates to a method of mak- I ing shoes, and more particularly to improvements in the manufacture of shoes of the type in which the upper is lasted over an innersole and an outsole is applied and secured to the l@ are `Well known and the advantages and discan advantages of each type are Wellunderstood by those familiar with the art. It is recognized, for example, that, although the cost of manufacturing a shoel of the first-mentioned type is appreciably less than the cost of producing a `Welted shoe, the finished shoe, when made by the more usual methods, is apt to be relatively inlexible and uncomfortable to the wearer owing to the practice of using an innersole suciently thick to provide anchorage for the lasting tacks, and of using a large number of permanent tacks for securing the margin of the upper to the innersole. rThis practice results in a shoe which not only lacks maximum iiexibility but also has the clinched points of numerous tacks appearing on the inner face of the innersole.

Various expedients have been tried to overcome these objectionable features; for i11- instance, the use of tacks Which penetrate through the innersole has been obviated by the provision of non-penetrating staples, but this method also` requires an innersolel the forepart of which is of a suiicient thickness 5 to receive and hold the staples Without their penetrating the inner face of the innersole, with a consequent lack of maximum iexibility of the innersole.

lrn order to permit the utilization of a very thin innersole with the resulting fiexibility of the finished product, and to eliminate the use of lasting tacks or other metallic fastenings in the regions Where they are objectionable, l have devised a method of making shoes which, as illustrated herein, includes pulling over an assembled multiple upper on an innersole carried by a last, attaching the pulledover margins of the assembled upper to the innersole at the toe and heel, leaving the major part of the margins of the upper at the sides of the shoe free, uniting the free margins of the plies of the upper together to form unitary free margins, and tensioning and securing the unitary margins to the innersole by cement. The adhesive thus used may be any one lof the usual kinds of strong, tacky and tenacious cements used in shoemaking, and the uniting of the plies of the upper may conveniently be effected by sewing a scam through the upper materials from the pulling-over tacks at the toe to the shank portion, or, if desired, to the assembling tacks at,

the rear end of the shoe. After the toe and heel of the shoe have been lasted in any usual manner, the shoe may be completed by the attachment of an outsole in any usual manner, forexample by laying the sole and securing it to the shoe by through-and-through stitch' ing.

When flexibility of the forepart only of the shoe is required, as is usual, the shank portion of the' innersole may be reinforced by an added layer of suitable material. Then the sides of the forepart will be lasted byV the method explained and the margins of the upper at the sides of the shank, Whether the different layers thereof are united or not, will be lasted to the reinforcing layer of the innersole and secured in lasted position by Astaples clinched or deected Within the material of the innersole Without penetrating it; that is, the legs of the staples are turned back in the material of the innersole and their points do not emerge from its inner face. The resulting shoe comprises an upper overlying the marginal portion of its innersole and secured to the innersole at the forepart of the shoe by cement and at 'the shank portion of the shoe by staples. Preferably the staples at the shank portion of the shoe are inserted through the marginal portion of the upper into the innersole in such a manner that the legs of the staples do not pass completely through the innersole, their legs being deflected in the body of the innersole so that they do not emerge from its inner face, that is, do not pass completely therethrough.

In the drawings- Fig. l is a side elevation of a last having an;

inner sole temporarily attached in the usual manner; c

Figs. 2, 3 and d are -bottomviews illustrating successive stages in the operation of pulling over and lasting a multiple ply upper to the inner sole;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the forepart of the structure shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 -i's a view similar to Fig. 4 illustrating at the right ther-eof one margin of the upper as it appears in Fig. 3, and at the left one margin of the upper as it appears in Fig. l is a side elevation of the complete shoe; and

Fig. 8 is a bottom view illustrating a modification of the invention at the stage corresponding to that shown in Fig. e.

As my improved method relates mainly to the lasting steps in the manufacture of the shoe, the invention will be particularly described in respect to this stage of the process only. The upper may be assembled and prepared for lasting and the outer sole may be applied to the bott-om and the shoe finished in accordance with the usual practice in Athe production of shoes of this type.

Referring to the drawings, the inner sole 8, preferably thin, exible and unchanneled, is laid upon any usual type of last, for eX- ample a hinged last 9, and secured in place by temporary tacks 10. ils-the upper is to be fastened to the inner sole mainly by cement rather than tacks or staples, the inner sole may be made of very light thin material such as light, low grade leather, or fabric, which would be entirely unsuitable for use in shoes in which the overlasted upper is secured by permanent metallic fastenings. The heel seat or the heel seat and shank portion of the inner sole maybe thickened or reinforced by an added layer, if desired, as indicated at 8 in Fig. 1. The assembled upper, which may be a multiple-ply upper, comprising, for eX- ample, an upper proper 1,1, an interlining 12 and a lining 13, is pulled over the last either by hand or appropriate machinery, the pulled over margin preferably beingr fastened locally to the inner sole at the toe by tacks lei. and at the heel by tacks 14 so as to leave the major portion of said margin at vthe sides free, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

The free margins of the upper plies are next united to 'form unitary side margins, for example, as illust-rated, by stitching as at 15 along the forepart and shank of the upper between the tacks 14, 14 at the toe and heel respectively (Fig. 3). It is contemplated, however, that in some cases staples may be employed to attach said margins to the inner Sole at the shank; in such instances the shank portions of said margins need not necessarily be stitched or otherwise fastened together before lasting, but only at the margins of the sides of the forepart.

narrates Cement is then applied to the inner surfaces of the free unitary side margins, and preferably also to the opposed surface portions of the inner sole; the cement is preferably allowed partially to dry until suliiciently tacky, and the side lasting is performed, the free margins being secured in lasted position upon the inner sole by` tensioning the upper and pressing the cemented surfaces together (F ig. d) and the heel and toe portions of the upper are then lasted in any usual manner by hand or machine. The tacks 14 may be removed or not, according to the selected method of lasting the toe. As suggested above, the margins may be cemented or stapled to the inner sole at the shank of the sole, as desired.

rlhe outer sole 16 is then applied, with the usual shoe bottom filler if desired, the usual sole-laying and stitching operations are performed, and the shoe 'is linished in any customary manner to provide the completed article illustrated as a ladies shoe in F ig. 7

Fig. 8 illustrates the invention when the procedure is followed, as suggested above, of stapling the upper to the inner sole at the shank part. ln such case, after the assembledv upper is pulled over the last, as shown in Fig. 2, the plies of the free margins of the upper are stitched together along the forepart of the shoe only, as indicated at 15a, the stitching terminating at about the point where the thicknened -shank portion of the inner sole begins. Cement is then applied to the stitched forepart, and the side lasting operation is then performed by tensioning and attaching the unstitched margins of the upper at the shank part to the inner sole by means of staples 17, and by tensioning and attaching the stitched margins of the upper at the forepart to the inner sole by cement. The staples 17 are preferably U-shaped staples of known form, applied in known ways so as to be clinched or deiected within the material of the inner sole without penetrating it. The use of staples at the shank or at the shank and heel is made possible by the use of the thick reinforcement 8 of the inner sole, above referred to, which provides an added layer of suitable material at the heel and shank parts of the inner sole to receive the staple. This reinforced part affords a suitable anchorage for the staples at a region where the use of metallic fastenings and the use of a thick and less flexible inner sole are not objectionable.

It will be thus observed that an important feature of the present invention is that step in the lasting operation in which previously provided free side margins of the assembled and pulled-over upper are first united to each other and then secured .to the inner sole along the major portion of the forepart or the forepart and shank of the sole by a suitable cement, without the employment of metallic astenings. The inner sole, and particularly the orepart thereof, may accordingly be unusually thin to provide greater flexibilit of the finished sole than has heretofore c aracterized a shoe of this type as Well aslowering the cost; and the use of a large number ot' tacks or staples, as well as the objectionable protrusion of clenched tack ends, at the region Where they are most likely to cause discomfort to the wearer is entirely avoided. The thickness of the inner' sole at said forepart may, for example, be as little as one to one and one-half irons; Whereas any customary prior practice of making shoes of this type requires an inner sole at least three or four irons thick in order to accommodate metallic fastenings. As greater stiffness at the shank and heel portions of the inished shoe is not objectionable, such portions o the inner sole may be of greater thickness than the iorepartto permit the use of staples,

tacks or any other metallic fastenings at these 4 regions, if desired, for lasting, as a complement to my improved method of forepart lasting.

Other variations in the process herein described may be practised and the shoe may be completed by any desired method Without departing from the essence of this invention, in its several aspects, as defined in the following claims.

l claim:

l. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises positioning a multiple-ply upper having free margins relatively to a last having an innersole thereon, uniting the free margins of the so positioned plies of the upper materials prior to the lasting operation, lasting the free margins over the innersole, and uniting the so positioned margins of the upper to the innersole.

Q.- That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises positioning and longitudinally tensioning a multiple-plyupper having iree mar ins relatively to a last having an innersole t ereon, uniting the free margins of the so positionedplies of. the upper materials along a portion of each side of the upper to form unitary free margins prior to bringing those portions into lasted relation to the innersole, then bringing those portions into lasted relation to the innersole1 and uniting the so positioned margins oi the upper to the innersole.

3. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises pulling Aover an upper and lining on a last having aninnersoie thereon, attaching the pulled-over margins ci the upper materials to the innersole the toe and heel ends thereof, leaving the major portion the margins of the upper materials at the `orepart free, then as a sep arate step einer the puliing-over operation prier te the side lasting operation unitina together the free margins of the upper r the sides free, t

materials, providing cement between the inner face of the united margins of the upper materials and the margins of the innersole, y

and performing the side lasting operation by tensioning the united margins of the upper materials and pressing them upon the inner; sole to cause them to be Secured by the cement.

4. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises pulling over an upper and lining on a last having an inner- Sole thereon, attaching the pulled-over margins of the upper materials by means of metallic fastenings to the innersole at the toe and heel ends thereof only, leaving the major part of the ma ins of the upper materials at en uniting the free margins of the pulled-over upper materials, applying cement to the opposed surfaces of the free margins of the thus united upper materials and to the innersole, and tensioning the free cemented margins and attaching them to the innersole.

5. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises pulling over an assembled multiple-ply upper on a last having an innersole thereon, inserting fastenings through the free margins of the plies of the upper to form unitary tree margins,` applying cement between the margins of themnersole and the unitary free margins of .the upper, and tensioning and pressing the unitary free margins against the innersole to cause them to adhere to the innersole.

6. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises pulling over an assembled multiple-ply upper on a last having an innersole thereon, attaching the pulledover margins of the assembled upper to the innersole at the' toe and heel, leavingl the major part oi the margins of the upper at the sides free, stitching the free margins of the plies of the upper `together to form unitary free margins, and tensioning the unitary margins and attaching them to the innersole by cement.

7. rEhat improvement in methods of making shoes Which comprises pulling over an assembled multiple-ply upper on a last having an innersole thereon, attaching the pulledover margins of the assembled upper to the innersole at the tee. and heel, leaving the rnajor part of. the margins of the upper at the sides tree, stitching the margins of the plies ef the upper tegether to form unitary tree margins, appiying cement te the epposed surfaces ci? the unitary tree and to the margin ot' the innerscie, tensioning the stitched margins ci? the upper, securing them. te the innersole by pressing said cemented surfaces together.

That improvement in methods of makn ing shoes which combo-rises pniiing over an assembled multi"^iepiy upper, the plies et en a last having an inneren-ie thereon, tacking :ne pulled-over margins oi he assembled r to the innersole at the toe and heel ends o t the last, leaving the major part or the margins of the upper at the sides "free, stitching the free margins of the plies ot the upper together While on the last along the sides, applying cement to the opposed surfaces of the stitched margins and oi the innersole7 and side lasting and securingl said stitched margins to the innersole hy tensioning the stitched margins and pressing;I said cemented surfaces together.

9. IThat improvement in methods et making shoes which comprises pulling over an assembled multiple-ply upper, 'the plies of 'which are disconnected along their margins, on a last having an innersole thereon attaching the pulled-over margins of 'the tassemhlecl upper to the innersole the toe and heel hy means of metallic astenings. leav ing the major part of the margins of the upper at the sides free, stitchinff together the free margins of the plies at the foreparl While on the last, side lasting the shoe by tensiouing and attaching; the free margins of the upper at the shank part to 'the innersole hy means of staples, and tensioning the stitched free margins of the upper at the 'orepart and securing them to the innersole hy means of cement.

l0. That improvement in methods of making' shoes which comprises pulling over an assembled multiple-ply upper, the plies of which are disconnected along their margins, on a last having an innersole thereon, at-

tachine the pulled-over margins of the assembled upper to the innersole at the toe and heel ends of the shoe hy means of metallic fastenings, leaving the major part of the margins of the upper at the sides free, stitching together the free margins or the pliesy of the upper at the forepart While on the last, applying cement to the opposed surfaces of said stitched mar- `Qins and to the margin of the innersole, and then side lasting the shoehy tensioning and attaching the unsti'tchefl `free merrains of the upper at the shank to the innersole by means of staples and hy tensioningr the stitched free margins of the upper at the rorepart and securing them to the innersole hy the cement on their opposed surlfaces.

il. That improvement in methods of malring,` shoes which comprises pulling over an assembled multiple-plv upper. the plies of 'which disconnected alonga their margins, on a last having an innersole-thereon, attaching the pulled-over margins of the assembled upper to the innersole atthetoe and heel ends,

of the shoe hy means ol" metallic tasteningrse leaving` the major part of the margins of the upper at the sides free, stitching together the free margins of the plies of the upper at the 'orepart While on the last7 applying cement to the oppesed surfaces of said stitched marsenese gins and 'of the innersole, and then side last- 

